Right from the start, Bigger Thomas had been headed for jail. It could have been for assault or petty larceny; by chance, it was for murder and rape.\u00a0Native Son<\/i><\/b>\u00a0tells the story of this young black man caught in a downward spiral after he kills a young white woman in a brief moment of panic.<\/p>\n Set in Chicago in the 1930s, Richard Wright’s powerful novel is an unsparing reflection on the poverty and feelings of hopelessness experienced by people in inner cities across the country and of what it means to be black in America.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Is it checked out?\u202f\u00a0<\/b>Don\u2019t worry<\/b>,\u00a0<\/b>we\u2019ve got you covered<\/b>:<\/b><\/p>\n Invisible Man<\/b><\/a>\u00a0(PS3555.L625 I5 1995<\/a>):\u00a0A first novel by an unknown writer, it remained on the bestseller list for sixteen weeks, won the National Book Award for fiction, and established Ralph Ellison as one of the key writers of the century. The nameless narrator of the novel describes growing up in a black community in the South, attending a Negro college from which he is expelled, moving to New York and becoming the chief spokesman of the Harlem branch of “the Brotherhood”, and retreating amid violence and confusion to the basement lair of the Invisible Man he imagines himself to be.<\/p>\n Lighting the Fires of Freedom: African American Women in the Civil Rights Movemen<\/b>t<\/a>\u00a0by Janet\u00a0Dewart\u00a0Bell (E185.61 .B375 2018<\/a>):\u00a0Lighting the Fires of Freedom<\/i>\u00a0Janet\u00a0Dewart\u00a0Bell shines a light on women\u2019s all-too-often overlooked achievements in the Movement. Through wide-ranging conversations with nine women, several now in their nineties with decades of untold stories, we hear what ignited and fueled their activism, as Bell vividly captures their inspiring voices.\u00a0Lighting the Fires of Freedom<\/i>\u00a0offers these deeply personal and intimate accounts of extraordinary struggles for justice that resulted in profound social change, stories that are vital and relevant today.<\/p>\n A vital document for understanding the Civil Rights Movement,\u00a0Lighting the Fires of Freedom<\/i>\u00a0is an enduring testament to the vitality of women\u2019s leadership during one of the most dramatic periods of American history.<\/p>\n Richard Wright: Native Son, Actor,\u00a0<\/b>Activist<\/b><\/a>\u00a0(streaming film): Richard Wright\u00a0was an African-American author of novels, short stories and non-fiction that dealt with powerful themes and controversial topics. Much of his works concerned racial themes that helped redefine discussions of race relations in America in the mid-20th century. Born on a plantation in Mississippi, Wright was a descendent of the first slaves who arrived in Jamestown Massachusetts. This program follows his arduous path from sharecropper to literary giant. Through authors like H.L. Menken, Sinclair Lewis, Theodore Dreiser, he discovered that literature could be used as a catalyst for social change. In 1937 Wright moved to New York and his work began to garner national attention for\u00a0it’s\u00a0political and social commentary. Much of Wright’s writing focused on the African American community and experience; his novel\u00a0Native\u00a0<\/b>Son\u00a0won him a Guggenheim Fellowship and was adapted to the Broadway stage with Orson Welles directing in 1941.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n by Christian Boyles\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Your UBCA Library\u2019s Book of the Month\u00a0for\u00a0February 2020 Native Son\u00a0by Richard Wright Right from the start, Bigger Thomas had been headed for jail. It could have been for assault or petty larceny; by chance, it was for murder and … Continue reading ![\"Native](\"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Screenshot-2020-02-04-09.59.24.png\")
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